I am writing to express my deep concerns about the current state of the St Tammany Parish Arena at our local fairgrounds. As a local resident, tax payer and horse enthusiast, I am deeply troubled by the poor unsafe ground conditions that have been allowed to persist in the arena for far too long. 

I do want to say we are thankful for the Structure that was FINALLY built for the community but unfortunately  the EQUINE community is still unable to use it due to unsafe ground conditions.  The safety and well-being of our horses and riders are top priority, and it is unacceptable to allow these conditions to persist. ( Please note this is not any fault of the tractor/ground worker that was there the day of the event trying his best with a smoking broken 40+ yr old tractor).  We personally ride in shows all over LA and MS and the Covington arena has the worst ground, with the worst set up and the worst tractors/equipment and we are the Richest parish in LA and we have waited patiently long enough.   

Tanya Carpenter, NBHA LA 06 Director, brought in an expert a month ago to explain and teach 4 parish workers exactly what needed to be done to prepare the ground to make it suitable and safe and those instructions were not followed. It was discussed that dirt was going to be brought in and equipment was going to repaired and neither of those  promises were kept “due to funding”.   Whether those instructions weren’t followed due to poor management or due to financial reasons; either way it is unacceptable and left the riders and horses in danger.   We all agree the arena & ground looked “pretty” when we arrived,  but it was still unsafe,  as we ALL saw immediately when the very first rider and horse slid across the ground like they were on roller skates. Everyone in the arena Gasped!    There were over 200 competitors entered to race and 50 left immediately after that very 1st horse slid across the unstable ground, followed by dozens who either slipped, fell or just walked the pattern because they were too fearful of being injured!   I have attached pictures of examples so you can see for yourselves ☹ 

In addition, a fun exciting barrel race that spectators should of watched for 3 hours ended up dragging on for 10+  hours, costing the show producers time and money that they did not have. 

Lastly, I have spoken with several horse associations that would be interested in renting the arena which would generate revenue all year long, but they have had no confidence in the our parishes ability to staff and fund it properly for the equine community thus far.   

I respectfully request that OUR PARISH OFFICIALS  work with the facility management to assess the arena conditions and develop a plan logistically and financially to make the necessary repairs and improvements. Most importantly, the show producers MUST be able to bring in their experts, prior to the show to work the ground, to confirm it is prepared safely for the competitions.  This is standard practice in every arena in all surrounding parishes/counties.  Eventually we hope that your arena staff will learn what it takes to do this, however in the meantime the experts are happy to help!  

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you regarding the steps that will be taken to address these concerns.

Sincerely,       Everyone that has signed the attached petition!!!